Prep, walls, ceilings, trim and paint on separate lines, priced by the square foot, with the year the house was built noted for lead-safe work. Download the PDF in a minute. No sign-up, and nothing leaves your device.
VAT, CIS and the reverse charge worked out to HMRC’s own rules and examples. Sales tax worked out to the cent, on US Letter paper. Your currency and your tax rate, on A4 paper.
Angi’s 2026 guide puts interior walls at about $2.75 a square foot, and walls with trim and ceilings at about $4.70. Painters charge $25 to $100 an hour. Pricing walls, ceilings and trim on separate lines lets the customer drop a room or a ceiling without a new estimate.
Source: Angi: interior painting cost
Paid work that disturbs paint in houses, apartments and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 falls under the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. Your firm must be certified, and that includes sole proprietors. The minor repair exemption covers six square feet or less of paint per room inside and 20 square feet or less outside, but window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces are always covered.
Before work starts, give the owner and occupants EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet: by hand any time, as long as the job begins within 60 days, or by mail at least 7 days before. Get confirmation of receipt or a certificate of mailing, and keep the records for three years. Penalties can reach $49,722 per violation, per day.
Sources: EPA: RRP rule for contractors, EPA Small Entity Compliance Guide, 2026
California and Florida want a contractor’s license number on bids, proposals and contracts, and Arizona on written bids and estimates, preceded by “ROC”.
In California, work without a contractor’s license is limited to jobs under $1,000 in total, labor and materials included, that need no permit and use no employees, and any advertising for that work must say you are not licensed.
Sources: CSLB advertising guidelines, Florida s.489.119, A.R.S. 32-1124, CSLB Industry Bulletin 24-07, CSLB press release 24-21
Call it a quote if the price is fixed. Citizens Advice tells householders that a quote is a fixed price and an estimate is only a rough guess, and that a trader can’t charge more than a quote unless the customer asks for extra work, agrees to pay for extra work the trader says is needed, or the trader made a genuine mistake with the price. It also tells them to look for a breakdown of the work and materials, how long the price is valid and whether VAT is included.
Price each room with a day count and say whether you supply the paint. Checkatrade’s 2026 average for a painter and decorator is £325 a day, excluding paint.
If you agree the job in the customer’s home, they usually have 14 days to cancel, and you must give them the cancellation information: not giving it is a criminal offence. Charge VAT only once you are registered. For bigger building work, see the builder quote template.
Sources: Citizens Advice: before building work, Citizens Advice: cancelling decorating work, Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, reg 19, Checkatrade: decorator prices
Rules checked against the official sources linked above on October 19, 2026. Example prices are illustrative. This is general guidance, not legal or tax advice.
If you are paid and the work disturbs more paint than the minor repair limits allow, yes, even as a sole proprietor. The owner and occupants must also get EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet before work starts.
Angi’s 2026 guide puts interior walls at about $2.75 a square foot, or about $4.70 with trim and ceilings. By the hour, painters charge $25 to $100.
A fixed total, a breakdown of the work and materials, how long the price is valid, whether VAT is included, and when the price could go up. That is what Citizens Advice tells UK householders to look for.
Yes. Make as many estimates and quotes as you like. The PDF is built in your browser and never sent to us.